Tickets for travel on Avanti West Coast services over the festive period are now on sale, including the cheapest advance fares.
To ease travel over the Christmas period, there will be no Peak restrictions from Friday 19 December to Sunday 4 January. All tickets will be Off-Peak, providing passengers with increased flexibility with their travel plans.
Between 27 December and 14 January, some essential engineering projects are taking place across the Avanti West Coast network (see more below). This will result in some replacement bus services where no alternative train routes are available. Passengers are advised to check to see if their chosen routes will be impacted and plan accordingly. Network Rail has published some information here.
As usual, the railway will close early on Christmas Eve and remain closed throughout Christmas Day and Boxing Day. On New Year’s Eve (31 December), trains will stop running earlier than usual in the evening, so check your travel plans carefully.
Planned Engineering Work
Over the festive period the major engineering works will be between Milton Keynes and Rugby, and between Carlisle and Lockerbie. There will also be a railway closure in the North West for a major bridge replacement near Penrith.
If you’re travelling between Scotland/Carlisle and the North West, Avanti West Coast trains will run via the Settle & Carlisle route between Preston and Carlisle. For shorter journeys within the North West, replacement buses and local train services will be running.
If you’re travelling between Scotland and Manchester or the Midlands, routes are available via CrossCountry and LNER.
We’d advise passengers to check routes carefully and expect some delays over the festive period, with all trains likely to be much busier than usual. For more information on the engineering works and to book tickets for the festive period, visit Avanti West Coast website: https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/christmas It is also advisable to keep an eye on the Network Rail website for service amendments and information.